Flagstaff



A ril 26, 1932.

F. D: CRI'CHTON FLAGSTAFF Filed June 29, 1951 INVENTOR rancis DCIiCAtOh,

BY z

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE FLAGSTAFFApplication filed June 29,

My invention relates to improvements in flag staffs of the type that aredesigned to be displayed from window sills or other suitable supportsand it consists in the combinations,

constructions and arrangement herein de scribed and claimed.

This invention is an improvement on that disclosed in myprior Patent No.1,295,274, of February 25, 1919. In said prior patent 19 a flag staffwas disclosed in which a fiag-' holding member was rotatably mounted onthe staff, the main purpose of the invention being to prevent thecoiling of the flag around the staff.

The present invention has for its purpose the provision of means whichwill better prevent the coiling of the flag around the staff.

An object of my invention is to provide a device of the type mentionedin which the flag-holding member not only is rotatable around the flagstali, but which is provided with a counterweight operating, as will beexplained later, to insure the unwrapping of the flag if it is blownover the flag staff.

A further object is to provide a revoluble ball at the end of the flagstaff which will move when the flag is wrapped around it and willfacilitate the bringing of the flag into its normal position.

Other objects and advantages will appear 7 in the followingspecification and novel features of the invention will be pointed out inthe appended claims. 4

My invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings forming a partof this application, in which V Figure 1 is apersp'ective view showingone embodiment of my invention, I a

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the deviceshowing the mounting of the counterweighted flag-holding member,

Figure 3 is a reduced section along the line 33 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the ball at the endof the staff and the mounting therefor.

In carrying out my invention I make use of any suitable support suchas awindow sill 1. Upon this is mounted a base plate 2, hav- 1931. SerialNo. 547,741.

ing upstanding ears 3 arranged to receive a plate 4, which is pivotedat5 and which bears at its ends a tube or socket 6. Arranged to fit intothis socket is an extension 7 which may be of wood or any suitablematerial, the end being reduced to enter the socket as shown in dottedlines.

The opposite end of the member 7 is provided with a metal sleeve 8 andis recessed as shown at 9 in Fig. 2, to receive the main member of thestaff proper 10. The latter may be made of wood or metal as desired.

Secured to the stafi member 10 is a ring 11, seeFig. 2. A metal sleeve12 is provided whichsurrounds the stali 10 and has annular rings 13arrangedto receive the stall member 10. Anti-friction balls 14 areplacedin position inraces formed between the rings 13 and 12and betweenthe rings 13 and 15, the latter being integrally formed with a reducedportion 16. The ring 15 is soldered after the balls 14 are in position.The sleeve 12 bears an annular flange or stop member 17, the purpose ofwhich will'be explained later.

Surrounding the major portion of the rod 10 is a tube 18 which isprovided with an inwardly extending annular ring 19 and'this ring,together with an outwardly extending flange or ring 20 on the staff rod10, constitutes a ring for the anti-friction members 21 The opposite endof the staff member 10 has a reduced portion 22, as shown in Fig. 4. Thetube 18 is provided with a block 23, to which an annular ring 24 issecured. A ring 25 on the reduced portion 22 of the rod 10 forms withthis ring 24 a ball race for the anti-friction members 26. I

Surrounding the endof the tube 18 is a cylindrical member 27 which ispreferably made of metal. This member is revolubly mounted on'thereduced portion 22 by cross bars 28 through which the portion 22 passesloosely. Stop pins 29 are carried by the cylindrical member 27, as shownin the drawings.

A ball shaped end member 30 is provided having an opening arranged toreceive the cylindrical member 27. This ball-shaped member is providedwith 'an interior cross member 31 having an opening through which themember 22 extends. The ball has a bearing surface 32 through which thereduced portion 22 passes. This bearing surface is in rotatingengagement with a washer 33 which is held by a screw 34 at the end ofthe reduced portion 22.

The flag-holding member proper is shown at 35. It has an end piece 36provided with an integral ring 37 which is split at 38 (see Fig. 3) fora purpose hereinafter described. A counterweight 39 is provided on theopposite side of the ring from the end piece.

The opposite end of the member has an end piece 40 which has an integralsplit ring 41.

The flag 42 is provided with rings 43 for attachment to eyes 44 carriedby the member 35.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device theoperation may be readily understood. The parts 1 to 6, inclusive, form abracket. Before the extension 7 is placed in position the flag-holdingmember 35 is placed in position by passing the end of the device bearingthe sleeve 12 through the rings 41 and 37 so as to bring thefiag-holding member 35 in the position shown in Fig. 1, these rings 41and 37 being of sufficient diameter to pass over the stop member 17. Theintermediate member 7 is then secured to the staff member 10 at one engand inserted in the socket 6 at the other en After the flag staff isassembled it is almost impossible for the flag to wind up on it. If asudden wind blows the flag upwardly in a manner tending to wrap itaround the staff, the momentum acquired by the counterweight will tendto carry it past the point where it would naturally fall on the tube 18and the weight of the flag will bring it into its normal position. If,however, the flag should fall on the tube 18, the latter being mountedon ball bearings, will turn and will a slide the flag ofi.

It sometimes happens that the wind will car a portion of the flag overthe end of the staff, that is to say, covering the ball but the ballbeing rotatable on the bearings at 28 and 32, will also tend to slidethe flag off and its weight will bring it together with the holder 35into normal position.

I have found by actual trial that this device will successfully preventa flag which is of relatively light weight from wrapping around thestaff. A wind which is strong enough to blow the flag upwardly in aposition where it will fall on the staff is always suflicient to give tothe counterweight momentum enough to carry the flag and itsholding-member 35 over the tube 18 so as to restore the flag to its.normal position. The fact that the tube 18 is mounted to turn readilyinsures this'action.

When it is desired to take in the flag it may be done without removingthe flag staff from its holder. The ring 37 is lifted slightly to clearthe stop member 17 which normally holds it in the position shown inFig. 1. The ring and the holding member 35 are now pulled toward thebracket and the ring is turned so that the opening 38 registers with theplate 4 of the bracket and the holder may be pulled until the splitportion of the ring 27 also clears the member 4 of the bracket when theflag and its holder 35 may be entirely removed.

I claim:

1. The combination with a fixed rod, of a sleeve surrounding the rod andmounted to rotate thereon, a flag-holding bar disposed in parallelrelation with said sleeve, a ring at each end of said bar arranged toloosely receive the sleeve, and a counterweight carried by one of saidrings on the opposite side of the sleeve from the flag-holding bar.

2. The combination with a central rod, of a sleeve arranged to receivethe rod and mounted to rotate thereon, a ball rotatably mounted on therod at the end thereof, a flagholding bar disposed in parallel relationwith the sleeve, end members carried by said flagholding bar, a ringcarried by each end member and adapted to loosely receive said sleeve, acounterweight carried by one of said rings on the opposite side of thering from the flag holding bar, and a stop member in engagement with oneof said rings for holding the flag-holding bar in normal position.

3. The combination with a central rod, of a sleeve arranged to receivethe rod and mounted to rotate thereon, a ball rotatably mounted on therod at the end thereof, a flagholding bar disposed in parallel relationwith the sleeve, end members carried by said flagholding bar, a splitring carried by each end member and adapted to loosely receive saidsleeve, a counterweight carried by one of said rings, a stop member inengagement with one of said rings for holding the flag-holding bar innormal position, a bracket having a socket arranged to receive the rodand being provided with a supporting plate adapted to pass between theends of the split rings to permit the removal of the flag-holding bar.

4. The combination with a central rod, of a sleeve to receive the rodand mounted to rotate thereon, a flag-holding bar disposed in parallelrelation with the sleeve, end members carried by said flag-holding bar,a split ring carried by each end member and adapted to loosely receivesaid sleeve, a stop member in engagement with one of said rings forholding the flag-holding bar in normal position, a bracket having asocket arranged to receive the rod and being provided with a supportingplate adapted to pass between the ends of the split rings to permit theremoval of the flag-holding bar.

5. The combination with a central rod, of a sleeve arranged to receivethe rod and mounted to rotate thereon, a flag-holding bar disposed inparallel relation with the sleeve, end members carried by saidflag-holding bar, a split ring carried by each end member and adapted toloosely receive said sleeve and a ball rotatably mounted on the rod atthe end thereof and having an independent movement from that of thesleeve.

6. The combination with a central rod, of a sleeve arranged to receivethe rod and mounted to rotate thereon, a ball rotatably mounted on therod at the end thereof and having a movement independent of the sleeve,a flag-holding bar disposed in parallel relation with the sleeve and aring at each end of said flag-holding bar adapted to loosely receivesaid sleeve.

FRANCIS D. CRICHTON.

